According to the Animal Rescue Corps, who helped with the rescue, many of the dogs rescued are affected by medical conditions such as mange, broken legs, bone disorders, conjunctivitis, and blindness resulting from their living conditions and the absence of daily care and medical attention.

Burger said the womans compassion just got out of hand as she brought in more and more dogs and were unable to care for them properly. Neighbor complaints brought Burger to meet the owner of the dogs.

They were fed and given water every day, they were not skinny, Burger said.

The woman reportedly gave up the dogs to Animal Control and the Animal Rescue Corps of her own free will. Burger said after talking with the owner, the woman consented that she could not care for the dogs properly.

Gatlin said the woman had to be spending hundreds of dollars on dog food and was actually carrying 75 gallons of water to the dogs every day. But Burger noted the tents and pens did not provide proper relief from the extreme heat that has hit the county lately.

The dog houses were metal barrels and in this heat, they were very hot, she said.

Burger pointed out the County Animal Control facility did not have adequate room to house the dogs and they relied on the Animal Rescue Corps to get them to the temporary shelter in Nashville.

A California resident reportedly foot the bill for the operation, which Burger said cost around $40,000 to transport and care for the dogs at the shelter for the next two weeks.

It seemed like the dogs were all happy (Tuesday), they were barking and wagging their tails, its like they knew they were being saved, Burger said.

Gatlin and Burger noted a veterinarian from the Nashville Zoo was assisting ARC personnel at the shelter as well as Animal Control officers from Williamson and Cheatham counties.

Many of the dogs were not well socialized and Gatlin said some were very defensive and difficult to handle. Burger said the woman admitted she did not have the money to give all the dogs rabies vaccinations.

This is just the best possible outcome, Gatlin said.

He also noted the woman will receive some citations, but indicated he spoke with the District Attorneys office and instead of moving forward with prosecution, Gatlin said they would propose the woman sign an agreement saying she would no longer own any pets. That decision is pending judge approval.